Control Modulo Player with Art-Net

The Modulo Player can be easily controlled by using the Art-Net protocol to receive commands from a light console, for example.
There are 3 ways to control it: DMX trigger triggering a task, patch a DMX value to a playlist parameter or X-Map using a digimap, or use the fixture mode (auto digimap).

We have developed a small application that will allow you to send and receive Art-Net: Here is the link download “ModuloDmxTool”.

A DMX device is declared in a show that has several cues (for example a show from the Live Event exercise).
Activate DMX input and choose the universe on which you want to receive orders.

!It is imperative that each trainee works on different universes to avoid DMX conflicts!

Task Trigger:

Create a task. Add the DMX device as a trigger, choose channel 1 and 10 as value for instance. Add a Modulo Player device and add a subtask to trigger cue 5 for instance. When you send, from an external application, the value 10 on channel 1 (in the right universe/subnet), the task will be triggered and it will launch your cue 5.
This makes it easy to create an action per value on a channel to control the playlist or, for example, control a task that opens/closes a projector shutter.

Digimap:

Create a digimap. Add the DMX device as a trigger, choose channel 2 as a parameter. Add a patch and we will then act on the X position of layer 1 of a cue. An offset/coefficient can be calculated (refer to the Digimap Interactive Panel or MIDI tutorial to check the procedure). When we receive a value on channel 2, we will see the layer move according to this. You can interact on many parameters of the playlist and also on the X-MAP (for example to give the hand to the lighting console in order to change the opacity of an X-Map in a concert).

!If we create a digimap with a patch on a parameter and delete this digimap or change the parameter, the value will remain. It is necessary to click on the reset digimap button to eliminate these phantom values.

Digimap DMX settings:

Fixture mode (Auto Patch Digimap):

The fixture mode allows you to quickly create a link between the lighting console and the Modulo Player. There are 3 modes:
- The minimal mode: from the light console, take control over the big master and the cue launch of one or more playlists (the most used mode).
- The Basic mode which can take more parameters but also allows you to control the parameters of the minimal mode, as well as the opacity and colorimetry of each layer.
- The Extended mode which requires a large number of DMX channels but allows you to control even more parameters.

Let’s use the minimal mode. Go to the DMX device and activate this mode, add playlist 1 to the control.
The mini light console can be used to control the playlist 1. The first channel allows the control of a global fade per playlist. If we move this DMX fader we see that we have the hand on the overall opacity of playlist 1.
Use channel 2 (in 16 bits… so channel 2 and 3) to control the launch of a cue. If we send the value 1 on the 16-bit channel, cue 1 will start, if we send the value 10 it is cue 10 that will be launched.

!If you are playing cue 2 and want to restart it from the beginning, it is necessary to send the value 0 to the cue start parameter and to send the value 2 again to restart the cue.

*We often need to change the order of the cues or add intercues. In this case, it is always necessary to reprogram the light console at the slightest change. It’s not very practical. A better way is to activate the mode in the DMX device. Give a tag to each cue of the playlist that you want to trigger from the light console. Put tag 1 on the cue to be triggered with the DMX value 1, tag 2 on the cue to be triggered with the DMX value 2, and so on. This option simplifies the link between the light console and the Modulo Player.